Incandescence
by littlekitsune1
Summary: Yato misses Sakura, but a power outage leads to a small family moment with his one and only remaining shinki. (Yato/Yukine family feels. Manga spoilers.)


**A/N:** My second Noragami fic, so hopefully I'm settling into this, a little bit. It contains manga spoilers, so be careful.

I've always seen parallels drawn between Sakura and Hiyori, but never Yukine. So here's my little attempt at it.

Enjoy!

…

Yato sometimes hoped that Sakura would come to him in a dream. That she'd appear in a warm light that rippled over her body and cast a perfect hue over her dimpled smile, and she would hold him close to tell him how she had been watching him and was proud of who he was, now – a God of Fortune, sanctioned by the person he wanted to make happiest in the world.

Time passed, and Sakura did not appear while he slept. He didn't know why he'd started thinking about it now, more than ever. Yato wasn't usually one to hope for things like that from the dead like humans did, but maybe it had been more than just a hope, in this case.

Rain still drummed against the window when the dark haired god sat up on his futon, unable to get the sleep he needed. The light from Yukine's lamp burned his exhausted eyes, but lying down to have the table barrier block it again was giving him a headache. Heaving a soft sigh so as not to wake the shinki sleeping across the small room from him, Yato reached out, fumbling a bit through bleary vision to find his shrine.

Tracing the smooth details of the wood with his fingertips, Yato smiled. The little structure always made his chest swell with something he couldn't fully explain. It may have been pride, or solace, or any number of happy emotions mixed into one, but he loved it dearly, even without a specific word attached. It felt like home.

"Can't sleep?" a groggy voice asked.

Yato shook his head, before glancing over at Yukine. "No... I guess this stupid rain kicking up is giving me a headache."

Yukine sat up as well, rubbing his eyes and peering past Yato to see how hard it was raining. "Ugh, looks like a storm... I hope the sakura tree will be okay. We couldn't stay with it long, today, in this weather."

"Yeah..." He kept the smile, but Yato knew his voice had gone soft.

Gold eyes watched him quietly, taking in how he was still fiddling with his shrine, and he heard the shuffling of blankets and bare feet as Yukine approached him. Thunder rumbled overhead and the feet paused, but seconds later Yato felt the warm body settle next to him – not touching, of course. He knew his kid had a teenage attitude to uphold.

He didn't want to worry him, but it still made him happy to have his shinki care this much. Yato had been quiet when they'd gone to see the spring blossoms of Suzuha's tree, and Yukine's concern had fluttered in his stomach the whole day.

Part of him worried the boy would start to get angry that there was yet another thing he was keeping from him, but one look at him and Yato could tell he was going to use patience. There wasn't a flicker of annoyance on the young face. He knew Yukine was not one to pry, but he still hoped that he wouldn't have to make up a lie to appease him, in this case.

"Hey-..." the younger boy started.

The air tingled with electricity and flashed seconds before the sharp peal of thunder vibrated their eardrums. Yukine jumped, before becoming very small and still when the lamp flickered. Once. Twice. And then they were buried under the curtain of darkness as the power suddenly gave out.

Pain lanced through Yato's chest with his shinki's panic, and he nearly cursed from the intensity of it. The terror bloomed through him like a thousand sparks running through his veins, and he grabbed Yukine to pull him under his arm, both half-wild with the sensation.

"Easy..." Yato breathed, feeling Yukine's heart pounding like a frightened little bird's. "I think there's some candles up here. I'm going to get them, okay?"

The boy nodded, folding in on himself to hug his knees to his chest. Yato squeezed his shoulder before setting aside his shine and moving to the storage chest in the corner. He was relieved to note that there were a few candles and matches that he could just barely make out in the darkness. Carefully, he lit them up, the flames casting a soft yellow illumination against his form. Yukine quickly scooted over to the light source as Yato set the candles in various places to extend the glow.

His shinki huddled beside him, and Yato pulled the boy in again, tucking him under his arm. The agonizing shocks were starting to die down, and the adrenaline left him in a rush. It was much more bearable now, but still felt like someone was pressing a towel soaked with burning water to his skin over and over at random, making his nerves jittery and his muscles tense.

Yukine shifted against him and spoke, his voice barely above a whisper, "I'm... I'm sorry... It was just so sudden, I-..."

"You don't have to apologize," Yato said. "It's okay, and it'll be over before you know it." He tried to give a reassuring grin, but it probably came out more goofy than anything, if the expression on Yukine's face was any indication.

Clearing his throat, he tried again. "A lot of Gods of Fortune like the warmth of fire, right? So we're kind of living the dream, here."

Yukine didn't show much outward reaction but Yato could tell the talking was helping him. "That's only from an irori," the boy responded.

"N'awww, you're a mythology whiz, now? My kid's learning so much, by the day! I'm so proud!"

Yukine huffed. "Someone's gotta pick up the slack, since a certain tracksuit-wearing NEET just flounders around without someone babysitting him."

Usually such a comment would offend him, but Yato didn't feel like arguing the point under these circumstances. He could tell Yukine was a little pleased by his words, and he really deserved to be. The shinki had been through hell and back thanks to the situation with his dad, and still refused to even think of leaving. He'd taken Yato's hand and pulled him along and away from that dark path his father and Hiiro had set him down with no way out.

Patting the teen's shoulder good-naturedly, Yato replied, "Yeah, I know, I know. I couldn't ask for a better guide."

Yukine was quiet, but his fear spikes were fading into a more level mood, and Yato wondered if he was going to fall asleep on him. The deity continued, "Not many gods can brag about going from a God of Calamity, to a Delivery God, to a God of Fortune." His voice was pensive, despite the joking tone.

"But you did it, right? You're a God of Fortune, now, and that's something to be proud of."

Yato looked over at the boy. Yukine's face was framed in the warm light, and he looked softer; the orange glow of the fire hugging his cheeks that Yato knew would be dimpled up if he were smiling.

The corners of Yato's own lips turned up before he could stop them. "Yeah."

…

 **A/N:** As a note, the God of Fortune and irori (sunken hearth) stuff is apparently a real thing in mythology. Ironically, one of the ways to drive out a Binbougami (what Kofuku is) is to light up an irori on New Year's Eve to invite in a God of Fortune, or Fuku no Kami, because they like the warmth.


End file.
